“Minarets are our Bayonets”: The Swiss Vote to Ban Them
Swiss voters on November 29 overwhelmingly approved a referendum to ban the construction of minarets, the tower-like structures on mosques that are often used to call Muslims to prayer. The surprise outcome of the referendum, which passed with a clear majority of 57.5 percent of the voters, represents a turning point in the debate about [...]
Mr Zapatero Goes to Washington
Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s second term in office has not been a happy affair for Spain. Soundly re-elected on a post-modern platform of Socialism, pacifism and feminism just 18 months ago, Zapatero has since stumbled badly in the face of an economic crisis that shows no signs of abating. With his poll [...]
End of Obamamania? Europe’s Tepid Reaction to Obama’s Nobel
European newspapers have reacted to Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize with a mixture of incredulity and scepticism. Almost without exception, newspapers across the continent (and political spectrum) are saying the award to Obama is premature and undeserved.
Lisbon Treaty: Europe’s Slow-Moving Coup d’État
Irish voters have overwhelmingly approved the European Union’s controversial Lisbon Treaty, a document that will forever change the dynamics of European (and potentially global) politics. The “yes” vote comes less than 18 months after Irish voters gave the “wrong” answer by rejecting the treaty in a first referendum.
Is ‘Obamamania’ Waning in Europe?
On the campaign trail, Barack Obama promised that he would “reboot America’s image” around the world. Indeed, many Americans who voted for Obama believed that his global popularity would somehow reverse the tide of anti-Americanism that so vexed his predecessor. Echoing this sentiment of Obama as saviour of America’s image abroad, presidential advisor David Axelrod [...]
As Goes the West, So Goes NATO
NATO has always been more than just a traditional military alliance because it has always been about more than just traditional military security.
Europe Is Obama’s First ‘Global Test’
President-elect Barack Obama is already facing his first global test. And it’s not coming from the usual suspects like Iran or North Korea, but from America’s “allies” in Europe.
¿Por qué los votantes irlandeses rechazaron el Tratado de Lisboa?
El 12 de junio los votantes irlandeses dicen ‘No’ a las ambiciones de las elites políticas europeas, que desean que todos los 27 Estados Miembros de la Unión Europea ratifiquen el Tratado de Lisboa. El también conocido “Tratado de Reforma” (que tiene 269 páginas y 3.000 páginas más en anexos) va a transformar la UE [...]
Why Irish Voters Rejected the Lisbon Treaty
Irish voters on June 12 said ‘No’ to the superpower ambitions of European political elites, who want all 27 member-states of the European Union to ratify the 269-page (about 3000 pages with annexes) Lisbon Treaty that would turn the EU into a bureaucratic superstate.
Why France Wants to Rejoin NATO
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he will decide by late 2008 or early 2009 whether France will fully rejoin the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It is one of the more important issues left unresolved at the recently concluded Bucharest Summit, where Sarkozy proclaimed: “I reaffirm here France’s determination to pursue the process of [...]
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